Risk Evaluation for 1,2-Dichloroethane

In November 2025, EPA released the draft risk evaluation and associated technical support documents for 1,2-dichloroethane under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for public comment. EPA designated 1,2-dichloroethane as a high priority chemical in December 2019.

Find information about other chemicals undergoing risk evaluations under TSCA. 

On this page:

• Draft Risk Evaluation for 1,2-Dichloroethane
• Background on 1,2-Dichloroethane
• Uses of 1,2-Dichloroethane
• Recent Activities and Opportunities for Public Comment
• Draft Risk Evaluation and Supporting Documents

Draft Risk Evaluation for 1,2-Dichloroethane

 EPA is preliminarily determining that 1,2-dichloroethane presents unreasonable risk of injury to human health driven by inhalation and dermal risks to workers and inhalation risks to occupational non-users (ONUs) from 15 COUs. EPA is also preliminarily determining that 1,2-dichloroethane presents an unreasonable risk to the environment driven by chronic exposure to aquatic invertebrates via surface water and sediment exposures from two COUs. The agency did not preliminarily identify a risk of injury to human health or the environment from five other COUs evaluated for 1,2-dichloroethane. For COUs with unreasonable risk to workers, these preliminary risk determinations do not reflect the use of personal protective equipment (PPE); however, as the draft risk evaluation shows, the use of PPE may reduce exposures to and mitigate risk from 1,2-dichloroethane.

EPA is preliminarily determining that 1,2-dichloroethane exposure to consumers or the general population, associated with any COU, does not significantly contribute to unreasonable risk of injury to human health.   

Background on 1,2-Dichloroethane

Also known as ethylene dichloride, 1,2-dichloroethane (CASRN 107-06-2) is a volatile, colorless, oily liquid with a chloroform-like odor, and is miscible in most organic solvents. The primary use of 1,2-dichloroethane is in plastic material manufacturing to manufacture vinyl chloride. Information from the 2016 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) for 1,2-dichloroethane indicates the reported volume is between 30 and 40 billion lbs/year.  

Uses of 1,2-Dichloroethane

In the final scope, EPA identified conditions of use associated with the manufacturing (including importing); processing; distribution in commerce; industrial, commercial and consumer uses; and disposal of 1,2-dichloroethane, for example:

• In the manufacturing of petrochemical, plastic material and resin, and other basic organic chemicals;
• In the manufacturing of petroleum and coal products, and petroleum production;
• In adhesives and sealants, and heat transferring agents;
• In lubricants and greases;
• In solvents (for cleaning and degreasing);
• As an industrial oxidizing inhibitor; and
• In plastic and rubber products.

The above listed conditions of use are ways that a person or the environment could be potentially exposed to this chemical. However, when conducting a TSCA risk evaluation, EPA also considers the hazards (i.e., health effects or environmental impacts) that could occur from coming in contact with a chemical.

Recent Activities and Opportunities for Public Comment

In November 2025, EPA released the draft risk evaluation for public comment. EPA will accept public comments on the draft risk evaluation for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register via docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0427 at www.regulations.gov.

EPA’s Science Advisory Council on Chemicals (SACC) reviewed the draft human health hazard assessment for 1,2-dichloroethane during the September 2024 SACC meeting on the draft risk evaluation for 1,1-dichloroethane, and EPA believes that there are no additional scientific issues that require peer review. Learn more about the peer review. 

In August 2020, EPA published a final scope document outlining the hazards, exposures, conditions of use, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations the agency expects to consider in its risk evaluation. The agency released the draft scope in April 2020 and took public comments on the draft document.

• Read the final scope of the risk evaluation for this chemical and EPA’s response to comments on the draft scope.
• View the dockets for this chemical, EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0427 and EPA-HQ-OPPT-2024-0114 on www.regulations.gov.

In addition to public comment periods, EPA will continue to engage with stakeholders as it refines the risk evaluation and stakeholders should reach out to EPA via the staff contact to engage with the agency.

Draft Risk Evaluation and Supporting Documents

• Draft Risk Evaluation for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (3.9 MB)
• Summary of and Response to External Peer Review and Public Comments on the Risk Evaluation for 1,1-Dichloroethane and Human Health Hazard Technical Support Document for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (882.27 KB)
• Draft Human Health Hazard Assessment for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (2.02 MB)
• Draft Chemistry and Fate and Transport Assessment for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (861.23 KB)
• Draft Environmental Release Assessment for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (3.47 MB)
• Draft Occupational Exposure Assessment for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (1.86 MB)
• Draft Consumer Exposure Assessment for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (681.11 KB)
• Draft General Population Exposure Assessment for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (652.63 KB)
• Draft Environmental Media Assessment for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (2.02 MB)
• Draft Environmental Exposure Assessment for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (763.21 KB)
• Draft Environmental Hazard Assessment for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (1.28 MB)
• Draft Byproducts Assessment for 1,2-Dichloroethane (pdf) (1.26 MB)

Additional technical support files for the Draft Risk Evaluation of 1-2,Dichloroethane. (zip)

View the supporting documents in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0427.